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A leaked draft opinion in the Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization has placed uncertainty on the future of abortion rights in the United States. As written, the opinion would overturn Roe v. Wade protections. We at Short Wave were immediately curious about the data behind abortions: What happens when pregnant people are denied abortions?
For answers, we turned to Dr. Diana Greene Foster, the lead researcher on the interdisciplinary team behind The Turnaway Study. For over a decade, she and her fellow researchers followed just under a thousand women who sought an abortion across 21 states. These data may give us insight into pregnant people's lives in a post Roe v. Wade United States.
- Read more about The Turnaway Study on UCSF's website: https://bit.ly/3P1tV8B
- Read the research resulting from The Turnaway Study: https://bit.ly/3KNAit8
- Read Dr. Foster's book, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women, and the Consequences of Having — or Being Denied — an Abortion: https://bit.ly/3si0i9z
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The world has come a long way since the COVID-19 pandemic began. There are now vaccines, at-home tests, masks and treatments. With all of these tools available, why is COVID still here?
Health policy correspondent Selena Simmons-Duffin talks to Scientist-In-Residence Regina Barber about what we can learn from the public health advocates working to end the HIV epidemic, how those lessons may translate to ending COVID and why having the scientific tools isn't enough.
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In 1859, astronomer Richard Carrington was studying the Sun when he witnessed the most intense geomagnetic storm recorded in history. The storm, triggered by a giant solar flare, sent brilliant auroral displays across the globe causing electrical sparking and fires in telegraph stations.
Short Wave's scientist-in-residence Regina G. Barber talks to solar physicist Dr. Samaiyah Farid about what's now known as the Carrington event and about what may happen the next time a massive solar storm hits Earth.
You can check out NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory for pictures of our Sun in real-time: go.nasa.gov/3LOWV1u
Curious about other parts of our solar system? Email the show at shortwave@npr.org.
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Scientists have discovered the underpinnings of animal emotions. As NPR brain correspondent Jon Hamilton reports, the building blocks of emotions and of emotional disorders can be found across lots of animals. That discovery is helping scientists understand human emotions like fear, anger — and even joy.
Express your joy, fear and fine — even your scientific rage to us. We're at shortwave@npr.org.
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Beavers have long been considered pests by landowners and government agencies. But now, many are starting to embrace them. Today on the show, Host Aaron Scott tells Host Emily Kwong how these furry ecosystem engineers are showing scientists a way to save threatened and endangered salmon and steelhead.
Watch the video Aaron filmed with Oregon Field Guide about beavers and stream restoration. For more videos check out Oregon Field Guide.
You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronScottNPR and Emily @EmilyKwong1234. Email Short Wave at ShortWave@NPR.org.
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When Kasha Patel decided to try out stand-up comedy, she was told to joke about what she knew. For her, that was science. Today on Short Wave, Kasha talks to host Emily Kwong about how she developed her sense of humor, how she infuses science into her comedy and why on Earth she analyzed 500 of her jokes.
Listen to the end for bonus audio!
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Climbing enthusiast and producer Thomas Lu has long wondered what makes knots such a powerful tool. Today, Thomas digs into the research with the help of Matt Berry, Quality Assurance Manager at the outdoor gear company Black Diamond Equipment, and researcher Vishal Patil.
Reach the show by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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Probes to Uranus and to one of Jupiter's moons where conditions might support life; a better plan high-quality science on the moon--those are some of the recommendations in a new 700 page report to NASA. NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce has looked at that report and talked to the experts. Today, she sifts through all the juicy details of where NASA is headed the next few decades.
Read the decadal survey.
Probe the Short Wave minds by emailing shortwave@npr.org.
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COVID cases are up due to the Omicron sub-variants and masking is likely to remain optional as the courts wrangle with the transportation mask mandate that a Federal judge struck down last week. NPR correspondent Allison Aubrey talks about both of these issues with host Emily Kwong, and updates listeners on what to expect with children and the vaccine.
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Cryptocurrencies may exist only in the virtual world, but their impact on our natural resources is huge. That's largely because the technology underpinning crypto is an energy vampire that devours more electricity than do many countries. But that's only part of the story.
Short Wave Host Aaron Scott talks to Producer Eva Tesfaye about the many environmental impacts of crypto - beyond its strain on energy - and what various local, state and national governments are doing about it.
Check out Short Wave's previous episode about how cryptocurrency works and why its technology sucks up so much energy here: n.pr/3ETHXVq
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